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Cheese & Chutney

Looking for the perfect way to complete a Dinner Party?

Fruit-4U have developed a beautiful Cheese & Chutney basket perfect as a savory after dinner treat.

Our Cheese & Chutney basket includes 2 truckles of finest English cheese with a tin of Mrs Bridges mixed savory biscuits and 4 x 285g jars of Mrs Bridges chutney which incudes; Spiced Apple, Plum and Ale, Beetroot and Orange chutney as well as Sweet Onion relish, all with the finest selection of complimentary fruit. And why not add a bottle of Australia red wine, a perfect combination with Cheese & Chutney. Other products include Mrs Bridges savory biscuits.

Why do we use Mrs Bridges?

Here at Fruit-4U we produce beautiful baskets to the highest quality and so we only use the finest selection of Jams, Chutneys and Preserves from Mrs Bridges. “My repertoire of preserves, marmalades and curds was much loved by those both ‘upstairs’ and ‘downstairs’ at Eaton Place in days gone by. The recipes which I collected throughout my life in the service, have been lovingly recreated to bring you the Mrs Bridges Fine Food Range.” – Mrs Bridges food website.

Additional products such as our selection of Pâté are produced by Cottage Delight, “Only the finest ingredients and traditional production methods are used to make our wide range of award winning jams, marmalades and chutneys.” – Cottage Delights food website.

And don’t forget the countdown for Christmas begins next week and so its time to start placeing your orders in time Christmas, get in touch with us early to save disappointment!

Let us know your thoughts and write to us on Twitter!

And don’t forget to keep checking Fruit-4u.com for news, updates and offers!

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Office Fruit Basket

Looking to find a unique gift for a colleague?

Or how about finding the perfect monthly bonus?

Fruit-4U have you covered! Our Office Fruit Basket is the perfect incentive for any office worker this Christmas.

The Office Fruit Basket contains 50 pieces of hand fruit which includes; Apples, Pears, Satsumas, Plums, Kiwis, Bananas and a large box of Grapes.

Also a great gift for the start of the new season, with many peoples New Years diets on the way, this is a great way to keep the diet going! Most of the fruits found in the basket are filed as ‘Low G.I’ on the Glycemic Index scale. So, whats the link between low G.I and weight loss?

“The theory behind diets based on the Glycaemic Index is that foods with a low GI value slowly release sugar into the blood, providing you with a steady supply of energy, leaving you feeling satisfied longer so that you're less likely to snack. In contrast, foods with a high GI value cause a rapid - but short-lived - rise in blood sugar. This leaves you lacking in energy and feeling hungry within a short time, with the result that you end up reaching for a snack. If this pattern is frequently repeated, you're likely to gain weight as a result of constantly overeating”.

Report taken from an online weight loss source - http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/gi_diet.htm

Read about our Fruit 2 Office boxes and check out our blog called ‘Fruit In The Workplace’, as featured on our Tumblr and Fruit-4U website.

Call us on 0161 495 4769 to speak to a sales representative.

Let us know your thoughts and write to us on Twitter

And don’t forget to keep checking Fruit-4u.com for news, updates and offers.

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Fruit In The Workplace

Want to increase productivity and motivation in the work place? How about promoting healthy eating or the 5 A Day scheme? Then providing fruit in the office is the way forward!

Here at Fruit-4U we understand the want and need for increased employee productivity, promoting healthy eating is the perfect way to engage your employee’s at work as well as being a healthy and tasty incentive.

A study from the organisation ‘Health at Work’ reported, ‘Improvements to our diet can have a very positive impact on our general health and lead to significant reductions in the likelihood of developing a range of conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and dental caries’. So why should we stop in the workplace? After all, we spend up to 60% of our waking hours and consume at least 1/3 of our daily calorie intact whilst at work and so continuing a balanced diet whilst at work is surely a must! – Further information can be found on the Health at Work website.

At Fruit-4U we offer a variety of fruit baskets and office fruit boxes to suit the needs of your workplace. We provide a full size basket packed with the best selection of fruits.

You can purchase our Office Fruit Basket Here.

We also offer a selection of Fruit Boxes which come in 2 sizes, Fruit 2 Office Regular and Fruit 2 Office Large.

Supplying fruit in the office works effectively for our customers in a large variety of businesses and so why not pick up the phone and try it today! Speak to one of the team to arrange your first ‘Fruit Drop’.

Let us know your thoughts on the ‘Fruit Drop’ scheme, write to us on Twitter .

And don’t forget to keep checking Fruit-4u.com for news, updates and offers! 

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Sweet Hampers

Looking to buy a gift basket for a sweet lover?

How about treating yourself this Christmas to one of Fruit-4U’s sweet hampers?!

Here at Fruit-4U we have created 2 sweet packed hampers for any occasion!

Our impressive Old Sweet Shop basket is sure to put a smile on anyone’s face this Christmas and contains a variety of classic sweets which includes: 8 x 250g jars of finest sweets including Sherbet Lemons, Sam’s Mint Balls, Devon Fudge, Rum Toffee, Walkers mixed Toffee, Treacle Toffee, Fruit Drops and Cheshire Toffee. All presented in a beautiful wicker basket to keep.

So why is everyone going hyper over traditional sweets? “Old fashioned sweets have become a significant growth trend across many different retail outlets in the UK. From liquorice to lollipops, traditional boiled sweets to bon bons, people are once again in love with all things sweet and what better way to celebrate those childhood memories with good old fashioned sweet shoppe sweets!” (Mrs Bridges).

Looking for a smaller gift? Fruit-4U have created the Sweet Box, perfect as a stocking filler the Sweet Box includes: 8 x 125g packets of Sherbet Lemons, Sam’s mint balls, Devon Fudge, Rum Toffee, Walkers mix Toffee, Treacle Toffee, Peanut Brittle and Cheshire Toffee. The sweet box comes in a beautiful black presentation box, easy to store, and even easier to hide!

To place an order, just visit the website Fruit-4u.com or call us on 0161 495 4769 to speak to a sales representative!

Let us know your thoughts and write to us on Twitter

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Fruit In The Workspace

Wanting to improve enthusiasm and efficiency in the work place?

Fruit-4U has got the answer!

Our Office Fruit Basket is the perfect incentive for any office worker this January and a great way of promoting healthy eating in the workplace!

The Office Fruit Basket contains 50 pieces of hand fruit which includes; Apples, Pears, Satsumas, Plums, Kiwis, Bananas and a large box of Grapes. Perfect to share for small teams of to share in the work kitchen. This is the perfect variety of easy to eat fruit in a hand crafted re-useable wicker basket.

Here at Fruit-4U, we are always looking for innovative ways of promoting healthy eating in the work place, and so we’ve come up with, Fruity Friday! The term was developed from a number of our clients wanting fruit not only on a Monday, but on a Friday as well. Fruity Friday is great way to reward employee’s after a hard weeks work and to help battle the unhealthy weekend binge!

Why not launch a healthy lifestyle campaign at work?

Just share these 5 tips that experts are claiming to be the healthiest way off working in an office or confined workspace in order to increase employee efficiency:

1) Always eat a balanced breakfast. Breakfast sets your metabolism for the day. People who eat breakfast end up eating less during the day than those who don’t.

2) If possible, bike or walk to & from work. You will arrive at work with a healthy glow, fit in your exercise for the day, get that much needed fresh air before you sit at your desk, avoid road rage, and often save time on the roads.

3) Pack your lunch – and make it tasty – if you eat things that don’t taste good you won’t be satisfied and you’ll end up eating sugary foods that wont keep you full.

4) Drink lots of water. Offices are often very warm so it is vital to stay hydrated by drinking water regularly. Avoid sugary, caffeine filled drinks like energy drinks and coffee, the sugar rush is often short lived and leaves you wanting more.

5) Nuts make great office snacks. They are full of protein and fat. These two nutrients help sustain your energy over a long period of time. When you’re energy is sustained, you’ll be able to focus and be more productive.

Let us know your thoughts and write to us on Twitter

And don’t forget to keep checking Fruit-4u.com for news, updates and offers.

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"What do You do at Fruit-4u?"

How do we measure our business? Well we will look at our history, our achievements, what we currently offer and future plans ideas and developments. Over the next few blogs we will explain what we are really about at Fruit-4u.com 

An idea in December 2002 became start up E commerce business in March 2003. Founders Ian Cheetham Set Produce owner and entrepreneur

asked School friend Martin Unsworth ex CWC and NTL Business Telecoms Senior Manager to come onboard and see if they could develop a business

selling fruit commercially over the internet. After extensive research by both partners Ian with 25 years expertise in Fruit and Veg Wholesale. Martin with 15 years in Business Sales and extensive online Marketing expertise, it seemed a perfect match of skill sets and knowledge.

Fruit-4u.com went live on 25th March 2003 with immediate internet sales. Our first Corporate customer was Manpower Recruitment who ordered a fruit basket for one of their staff stuck at home with a broken ankle. The rest is History with over £1.5 million worth of turnover over the period to December 2011. With literally 1000’s of Blue Chip Clients built up over the years.

  What have we done for our clients and what other services do we provide?

Fruit-4u has worked with the many of the leading PR Agencies in the UK.

We have sent out Gift Baskets themed Hampers for Companies ranging from Unilever. They wanted Comfort Pure Fabric Conditioner launched through their Agency Ogilvy who we worked with to send out New Born Baby Baskets to 1000’s of winners of competitions. Another Ogilvy job was the Brazilian Tourist Board who wanted 100’s of our Tropical fruit baskets including Beach Towels Sun cream and Sun-glasses!

Weetabix launched a serial bar back in 2004, fruit4u designed a fruit basket with berries and the fruits that were in the breakfast bars. Then we shipped them all out overnight to hundreds of Press Agencies, Digital Agencies and Major Buyers. Along with collateral explaining about the imminent launch of this exciting new product. We can help build a brand and more importantly promote product awareness.

We carried out a major fulfilment project for 3M Scotch Tape running Nationwide Competition with 1000’s on winners. We have supplied Pallets of Limes to Diageo for their Pop up Gordon’s Gin Stands at various Expo’s including BBC Good Food Shows at the NEC. We have created prize boxes aimed at Students to include, Seven Seas multi Vitamins along with complimentary ideas such as Desk Lamp, Alarm Clock and Stationary. We have worked closely with different Designer Artists and Photographers when they have required fruit for one of their projects.

One of the benefits of holding a premises liquor licence is we are authorised sell alcohol in our baskets. That led to another great product launch in 2010 - Liefmans Fruitesse Belgium fruit beer. We designed and produced a basket brimming with the Berries Cherries and Grapes that were the component of the Fruit Beer. We included bottles of the beer and Liefmans glasses and sent out 50 baskets to major chains of pubs and clubs Hotel chains and those all important Supermarket Buyers. To date I’ve seen the product on the shelves of Waitrose, Asda, Sainsbury and Morrisons! So if you’re stuck for an idea but have a great product you want to promote let Fruit-4u design a unique and compelling gift basket to enhance your clients portfolio. 

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Cheese & Wine Basket

Hosting a Dinner Party or trying to think of the perfect gift for a Cheese and wine enthusiast?

Fruit-4U have produced 2 Cheese & Wine baskets to suit a variety of needs.These delicious baskets are sure to impress as well as supporting local cheese makers from the U.K.

Why support local? “People across Cheshire are being urged to take positive action to support local producers during British Food Fortnight (September 2012). The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has stepped up calls for people to: "Think Local, Act Local, Buy Local," in a bid to help re-build rural prosperity.” – This quote was taken from a recent article in Cheshire Life.

Great as an after dinner treat, this is the perfect mix of cheese, wine and fruit. Our customers love this selection of treats and so we’ve developed 2 baskets just for you. Suitable for all occasions we have created the Cheese & Wine basket which includes a bottle of fine Aussie Red, a waxed truckle of English Cheese, Cottage Delight oval Alberts and complimentary seasonal fruit.

For those catering for more guests or a bigger party we have created the Excelsior which is our supreme hamper with 1 waxed truckle of English cheese and complimentary boxed biscuit. With the addition of a bottle of good Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 2011 a fine exuberantly juicy Aussie Red.

A great alternative to the traditional after dinner espresso or chocolates, this healthy product is bursting with a variety of fresh fruit perfect to refresh your pallet after any meal. And with each basket containing a high quality wine, you’re sure to impress your guests!

Let us know your thoughts on supporting local cheese baskets, write to us on Twitter

And don’t forget to keep checking Fruit-4u.com for news, updates and special offers.

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Finding the perfect Easter Gift

Stuck on finding the perfect Easters gift? Buying for family, friends or colleagues? Then Fruit-4U has is covered!

We offer a wide range of Fruit Baskets for all budgets, and even better, we’ll deliver up to Thursday 28th March! Take a look at our website at Fruit-4U.com to see wide range of baskets.

You’ll find our huge selection of baskets to suit your needs and we deliver all over the country so you won’t miss out sending gifts to those far away. Our Fruit Baskets range from £16.95 (5-A-Day) to £49.95 (Champagne & Truffles) with a selection of different priced fruit baskets in between.

Fruit Baskets are the ideal and refreshing gift for Easter, they will keep over the Holiday season as well as being a tasty and healthy alternative to Chocolate and other edible products. Each of our fruit baskets also comes in a beautiful wicker basket perfect to keep for future use. As well as the Fruit Basket you can choose additional items to include in the basket, these include; Fine Wine, Champagne, Handmade Chocolates, Preserves, Biscuits, Cheese, Teddy Bears, Pâté and a selection of Toffee & Sweets.

Let us know your thoughts and write to us on Twitter , 'Like Us' on Facebook and don’t forget to keep checking Fruit-4u.com for news, updates and offers!

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Check out our new product launched in time for Crimbo ho ho ho.

http://fruit-4u.com/prodinfo.php?id=193

great to share with friends and family

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Black Friday

Another American idea trending and becoming part of UK culture, it marks the official beginning of the holiday shopping season. Black Friday is the name given to the Friday after Thanks Giving Day traditionally around a month before Christmas Day. This year it falls on Friday 23rd November.

So what’s that got to do with fruit baskets and hampers in the UK? Fruit-4u has always looked to stay abreast of the latest trends and new developments. So what your asking now is why the Americans have “Black Friday” and what’s that all about?

It has many cultural and fiscal connotations here are a few; at fruit-4u.com we allow our customers to pre-book a delivery date close to the Christmas Holidays. This year Xmas Day falls on Tuesday so our last delivery date is Friday 21st December. Our couriers are not working Xmas Eve Monday plus from our experience that is leaving it a bit too late. But we will as usual offer local deliveries hand delivered by the fruit-4u team within the M60 area of Greater Manchester over the Xmas weekend. Please either ring 01614954769 to arrange or request local delivery in the section preferred delivery date, we will do the rest!

The next benefit of ordering before December is to avoid disappointment, over the last 8 years fruit4u has sold out of many popular baskets like the Exotic fruit basket the mixed Hamper4u and the Cheese and Chutney basket in the days leading up to Xmas. Finally Fruit-4u.com is able to offer a great discount on some of out popular baskets for this period. So for peace of mind and good Xmas planning order early!

Let us know your thoughts on supporting local cheese baskets, write to us on Twitter and don’t forget to keep checking Fruit-4u.com on Facebook for news, updates and offers. 19/11/12

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Cheshire Christmas Hamper from Fruit4u

It's time to think about Christmas food hampers and here at Fruit-4u.com we've been hard at work preparing some of the best Cheshire Christmas hampers you'll find. With a huge choice of amazing local produce to choose from, our gift baskets make perfect presents throughout the festive season. And with the ability to choose a specific delivery date, you can be sure that your carefully selected gift will arrive on time.

  Each one of our Christmas Hampers offers something different as they are handmade by us not the mass-produced one’s you see in the large discount stores that just have Supermarket products in them. Our 2 options include products sourced locally in Cheshire including Cottage Delights chutneys and biscuits. We have good wines and Champagne options too.

  Every year we find that hampers are becoming more and more popular seasonal gifts. It is believed that the practice of sending gift baskets at Christmas comes from Victorian times. Downton Abbey type families used to provide their staff with a food hamper as a thank you for their years’ work, and since then it has spread worldwide. We recommend hampers as a gift for friends or family that you find it difficult to see regularly, as we can send them direct to their door with a free personal message – and we don't include an invoice in the package.

Don’t forget if you have any comments or feedback we’d love to hear from you on Facebook, follow our very own Fruit Guru on Twitter. 30/10/12

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Fruit 2 Office - great to share

Fruit 2 Office - great to share. Struggling to think of an amazing gift to send to staff in an Office or Hospital Ward? Why not say thank you, or keep up the great work with a Fruit2office large fruit box, it contains 60 plus pieces of hand picked fruit, expertly packed and despatched for next day delivery. There are a dozen Bananas, 12 apples always 2 varieties, a sweet red like a Royal Gala or Pink Lady and a sharper contrasting hard green apple like a Granny Smith or a Breaburn. A dozen pears with variety like William Conference or Farrell depending on the time of year. There’s always an easy peel citrus option from Spanish Satsumas, Clementines or a juicy Mineloa again depending on the time of year. Next there is the stone fruit option, often Plums - 2 varieties and in the Summer months we source peaches and nectarines. We also include a few fury little kiwis and a 500g punnet of seedless grapes. The fruit is great because there’s no need for staff to cut it up and portion up. All the fruit is chosen by Sharon here at fruit-4u.com who QA’s then wipes the fruit before packing into two fruit2office trays. Its then ready for the outer packaging box, then it’s despatched off with our trusted Couriers APC Overnight for a timely delivery next working day. There’s no basket but its great to share amongst colleagues you might want to recognise for hitting a target, or as a token of gratitude for a job well done. 18/10/12.

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Harvest Festival use a Seasonal Trug

Seasonal Trug

Its Harvest Festival time so why not send one of fruit-4u.com amazing seasonal vegetable trug. Fruit-4u.com buyers source and select an exceptional mix of finest local Cheshire produce including: cauliflower, butternut squash, fennel, peppers, aubergine, parsnip, carrot, courgette, red onion, garlic, chillies, charlotte salad potatos and Nadine baking poatatos. All presented in a handmade wooden trug that will adorn any kitchen.  The seasonal trug is a great keepsake too, ideal for collecting; wild mushrooms and berries for making sloe gin or blackberry brandy.

3rd October 2012 

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Passion Fruit in Exotic Fruit Baskets

  Fruit-4u uses Passion fruit in its exotic fruit basket as an exact source of vitamins A and C. One passion fruit has around 20 calories. When eaten with seeds, a serving is an excellent source of fiber.

Fresh Passion Fruit is high in vitamin A, Potassium and dietary fibre. The Yellow variety is used for juice, processing; the Purple variety is mostly for sold fresh in markets.

Passion fruit have wrinkled purple brown rinds and contain several seeds. The seeds are edible, therefore the orange pulp can be eaten straight from the shell. Their pulp is aromatic and fairly sweet. In tropical countries passion fruit is primarily used for juicing, but you can add them to natural yoghurt for a fantastic tasting treat.

They are best when the shell starts to dry and wrinkle, the inside pulp is most juicy at this point and the very sharp acerbic acid source of Vit C has mellowed to a sweeter flavor.

Fruit-4u always adds passion fruit to its exotic fruit baskets.

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Students need their 5ADAY Mum & Dad

Eating more fruit and veg is important for us all, but how many of us actually manage to eat 5 A DAY?

Fruit and veg are packed with essential vitamins, minerals and fibre which may help reduce the risk of nasty diseases like cancer and heart disease. So it’s important for kids to eat a variety of at least five portions of fruit and veg every day and that’s why we www.fruit-4u.com encourage students to have our 5aday box delivered, Mum and Dad!

There are so many ways of getting to five portions a day. Why not try adding vegetables to favourite foods such as spag bol or mixing them into a sauce to give it more colour and flavour. Or, how about giving a handful of tasty raisins as a treat?

All school dinners include at least two portions of fruit or veg so that’s another way of getting them toward their 5 A DAY.

Why not try a fruit smoothie? If there’s time, make it the night before and store it in the fridge, or prepare all the ingredients ready to buzz in a blender in the morning. Use fresh fruit such as banana plums from our 5aday box and some plain low-fat yoghurt or lower-fat milk, with some orange juice. You could also try adding some wholegrain cereal to your smoothie for extra fibre.

·       Bananas have your daily potassium requirement and balances your body fluids and cells strength.  

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An Apple a Day

Fruit may help prevent diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, according to research carried out on behalf of http://www.fruit-4u.com

Extracts from apples, oranges and bananas were found to reduce the damage the illnesses do to neurons - nerve cells in the brain and spine.

Researchers found antioxidants in these fruits - the three most popular in the Western diet - prevented toxicity in neurons under stress.

Unpeeled apples have the highest quantity of the antioxidants, followed by bananas and oranges, according to Professor CY Lee, who led the research and fruit-4u recommends unprepared fruit over cut fruit bouquets.

He said: "We received many requests asking about the potential benefits of common fresh fruits in our daily diet, such as oranges or bananas.

"To answer these questions, we did some additional work.

"Many studies indicate that the brains of Alzheimer's patients are subjected to increased stress. "The resulting dysfunctions in cells are widely believed to be responsible for the nerve degeneration in these patients.

"Our results suggest that fresh apples, bananas and oranges in our daily diet, along with other fruits, may protect neuron cells.

June 2012